aerie

American  

[air-ee, eer-ee] / ˈɛər i, ˈɪər i /

Also eyrie, or aery

noun

plural

aeries

1. the nest of a bird of prey, as an eagle or a hawk.

2. a lofty nest of any large bird.

3. a house, fortress, or the like, located high on a hill or mountain.

   They felt protected from invaders in the hilltop aerie.

4. an apartment or office on a high floor in a high-rise building.

   a penthouse aerie with a spectacular view.

5. Obsolete. the brood in a nest, especially of a bird of prey.

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aerie British  

/ ˈɪərɪ, ˈɛərɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of eyrie

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Etymology

Origin of aerie

First recorded in 1575–85; from Anglo-French, Old French airie, equivalent to aire (from Latin ager “field,” presumably “nest” in Vulgar Latin ) + ie; acre, -y ³; compare Medieval Latin aerea, aeria “aerie, brood,” from Old French aire

Example Sentences

It will be interesting to see where Thorne lands after leaving an aerie like this.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 15, 2025

Tan’s gorgeous aerie above San Francisco Bay, with its canopy of four Pacific live oaks, is a paradise for birds, hosting 63 species and counting.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Instead, it becomes something of a horror film, in which the apartment — an ultramodern aerie whose furnishings seem aggressively uncomfortable, lit in a chilly blue light — appears to be trying to kill Nemo.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2023

Faculty was sequestered in their own high-floor aerie.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2023

The very next day Frightful landed on the aerie porch.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George